Ohhhhh, peach almond bread.... You gave me a run for my money. I was |thisclose| to giving up on you. But thankfully, on Friday at 4pm, I conquered you and then stuffed my belly full of your peachy, bready goodness. After the photo shoot, of course.

But who am I kidding? I stuffed my belly full during the failed attempts as well. And in all seriousness (this is really serious stuff), this was one of the hardest baked recipes I've ever tried to tackle. There are similarrecipes in the archives, but once you throw fresh, juicy fruit in the mix, it changes everything. I was really striving for a dense, but moist, but sturdy loaf. So many of the trials just didn't want to fully bake and were wet in the center. I think it had something to do with the peaches on top, which in a few attempts the peaches were caving in to the loaf after coming out of the oven. In one attempt, I tried adding an extra egg, but that led (I just typed "legg") a noticeable eggy flavor. And no one wants and egg-loaf!

My go-to baking mix as of this year is a mix of oat flour, sorghum flour, and almond flour. I used to use buckwheat instead of sorghum, but I wanted the more subtle flavor of sorghum flour in this loaf. I've found they bake very similarly, at least in my tests so far. I also chose almond flour instead of almond meal for a lighter texture and color. Almond meal contains the ground skins of raw almonds as well as the almonds, whereas almond flour is ground from blanched almonds. I love adding almond flour to my baked goods because it lends moisture and a delicate, soft texture to baked goods (due to the fat content).

It's so convenient that you can go to most grocery stores now (not just natural food stores) and find the eye-catching display of Bob's Red Mill flours in the baking aisle. I feel like they've really changed the flour-game and offer so many options for gluten-free and gluten-filled bakers. They've been my favorite flour (and grain) supplier for awhile now, and a large part of that is because of the variety they offer, and of course, the quality. I've been using BRM flours for years + years now (hello, doughnut cookbook!), so it only made sense that I'd partner up with them this year to show you all just how much I love them.

Don't forget to read the notes under the recipe, which will help guarantee your baking success!

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Place one strip of parchment in an 8x4 or 9x5 pan that overhangs the wide sides of the pan. Grease the short ends of the pan.

Dice 1-2 of the unpeeled peaches into 1/4-inch cubes and measure 3/4 cup. Take another peach and cut 4 large pieces around the pit. Place cut side down and make about 16, 1/8-inch slices (no larger).

In a large bowl whisk together the flours, flax, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs until the whites are completely dispersed (30sec). Whisk in the milk, applesauce, oil, vanilla, and almond extracts. Pour the wet into the dry and stir until you no longer see dry flour. (Batter will be thick.)

Fold in the diced peaches until evenly dispersed. Pour/scrape batter into your loaf pan and spread evenly. Place sliced peaches in 2 pinwheel patterns, trying not to overlap the peaches too much. Make sure to leave open space on top of the loaf. Sprinkle almonds in open areas and then dust the top of the loaf with about 1 tablespoon muscovado sugar.

Bake for 55-65 minutes (9x5 may take slightly less time) in the center rack of your oven. Toothpick test for doneness. You want the toothpick to be slightly moist (not fully dry or sticky). Let cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes, then carefully pick up by the overhanging parchment and let fully cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, gently slice with a sharp bread knife on a cutting board. Loaf holds together best once fully cooled.

Keep stored in a sealed container at room temp (or in the fridge) for about 4 days.

Notes:

Sub flours at your own risk.

Do not sub flax-eggs for the eggs.

Avoid adding more than 3/4 cup diced peaches to the bread or it will have a hard time cooking through.

If peaches are too ripe, they will not allow your loaf to cook properly. If peaches are rock hard, they won't have much flavor.

Avoid fully covering the top of your loaf with sliced peaches.

Melted coconut oil will work in this recipe. Best if other wet ingredients are at room temp when you whisk in the coconut oil.

Summer isn't over until you've eaten at least 2 dozen peaches and made this loaf. Plenty of time left!

Thank you for all the LOVE on my last post. You are all the best! Happy Wednesday!

Ashley

Today's post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill, and I received compensation + product for writing this piece. Opinions are always my own. If I didn't love it, you wouldn't hear about it. Thanks for your continued support!